Slashdot Mirror
EVO Linux Gaming Console Opens Pre-Orders
Engadget is reporting that Envizions, maker of the EVO Linux game console, has finally announced final specs and opened the doors to pre-orders. All bets are off until users actually see the hardware, but it will be nice to see a new player in the market. Of course, this assumes they put some time into a little polish that is usually expected from the gaming community (that website, yikes) and some effort into a killer game library. "Envizions say that the console will run a modified, quick-boot distro of Fedora called Mirrors (which can be upgraded to a beefier build named Mirrors Evolution X), and will feature a "cloud" service stacked with Amiga (!) games and an Akimbo-based video service. Beyond that, proper titles will be sold online and on SD cards for around $20." I'm sure they won't forget to send Slashdot a beta review copy with a couple of games.
With the exception of the "Amiga" snippit, I can't find anything on the internet regarding what games this is going to be able to play.
What, exactly, does "proper titles" encompass?
Will it run PC Games?
Maybe ANY games from any other console?
Will developers need to write games specifically for this? Why would they do so?
Or are we simply going to be limited to the vast selection of Linux Games on the market?
This thing is going to retail for $380. For $19 more I can buy a PS3, install their linux distro, play all of the games this system can play, all of the games PS3 can play, and also play blu-ray movies.
I'd really like to know, who is their target audience?
That this will become a hackers toy, rather than a gamers toy. They're targeting a pretty small market if they feel the need to advertise their Amiga library. Maybe they want to go for the nostalgic and hacker audiences, but unless this brings something to the table that the Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo can't patch into their current consoles I just don't see it gaining any steam.
Well people often play commercial games for free, so there is at least symmetry.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
No it's not. It a very bad sign. See, every so often a company comes along and sees how profitable the gaming industry is. They then think to themselves, "well, that's EASY! I should get a piece of the pie!" Then they spare no imagination (literally, none at all) in creating the most generic "game console" known to mankind. Without fail, they always copy the PS2 controller design. (Which isn't even that great to begin with.)
Then when they stroll into the market thinking they're going to pick up a few dozen studio partnerships and get about the business of selling this generic piece of plastic. Except, shock and horror! None of the game studios are taking them seriously! Why oh why?!? Don't they see how awesome and moneyful* this venture will be?!?!
Eventually, the company runs out of money and hangs their heads in shame. Those stupid game studios. It's all their fault.
Cases in Point (Note the controllers):
Indrema
Mattel Hyperscan
Phantom Game Console
If you ever see a game console that uses a rip-off PS2 controller, run the other way. FAST.
* Hey, it's a perfectly cromulent word!
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Seriously, what a horrible idea. I don't see how this has any hope of competing with the three consoles that are on the market now. It doesn't have an impressive graphics chip, so it isn't going to blow people away with visuals. At the listed price point, it doesn't have any real price advantage (you can get a 360 for $300, a Wii for $250, a PS3 for $400). It doesn't seem to have ANY new games, much less games that you can't get on another console. So what's the draw?
OSS isn't an answer. Consoles gamers really don't care. The reason people like to buy consoles is to get cheap hardware to play games and no problems. They aren't buying them to write their own software. For that they buy, well, a computer.
I cannot see how the hell they expect this to succeed.
2009 will be the Year of the Linux Console.
That's right, you just read it on the internet -- it must be true!
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
(that website, yikes)
Hmm - Flash used gratuitously where regular HTML + bitmaps would do nicely: CHECK.
Given that they're going to use Flash, failure to take advantage of Flash's main advantage, vis. nice, scalable, anti-aliased vector images: CHECK.
Annoying "mystery meat" navigation system: CHECK.
Annoying textured backgrounds under text: CHECK (at least choose a texture that doesn't look like compression artefacts!)
Crummy English: CHECK. (two words, guys: proof reading!)
Now, I'm not a FOSS purist who's going to curse them unto the seventh generation for merely using Flash, but if FOSS/Linux is going to be one of their USPs they might want to consider their target market!
So, if the console/software designers had any role in that website - forget it.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
How many more $200-$400 game consoles does the market need? My opinion is that we need fewer than we have. I would like to see more $50-$100 game consoles. I think there is a place in the market for an inexpensive console that everyone can afford, that has some built-in networking for purchasing content and service.
It could be as basic as $50 + $7.50/puzzle game. Plus if you focus on online purchases you don't have to setup retail channels, and you don't have to battle the used game market.
Wii, 360, PS3, iPhone, and Amazon Kindle are examples where a consumer device is plugged directly into an online store for buying apps. But all those devices are over $200 (except maybe a used 360).
Specs don't have to be fantastic either, if you aim for simple games that "non-gamers" like to play. I'm just thinking out loud here, but there are a lot of options for the hardware while still being fairly economical. The 600MHz OMAP3530 (ARM) can do HD resolutions and 3D graphics, although I think a game system would have to be around $125 if you use that to break even. Maybe if VIA does a Nano with integrated chipset(System-on-Chip) the prices might be low enough for an x86-64 based console. But even if it was just an SNES with ethernet welded onto it, that would be good enough for a fair number of simple games. And SNES hardware is incredibly cheap to reproduce (I have an Chinese SNES clone that cost $30). But I think most of us would be willing to pay double or triple to have something that could do vector graphics and maybe light 3D.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Because Nintendo made up for the lack of HD graphics by having a new/original controller. This thing seems about as powerful as the original Xbox (CPU is better but GPU is worse). For the price they are asking, you can get a PS3 that has a lot of games, plays blu-rays and dvds and a lot of other stuff. If Linux is your thing you can also install it on the PS3.
Mada mada dane.
does it run windows?
"If you ever see a game console that uses a rip-off PS2 controller, run the other way. FAST."
You mean like the PS3?
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
XBox - Buttons in approximately the same locations/quantities + the white and black buttons.
The important difference is the location of the left analog stick.
Every game controller outside of the Dual Shock -- including the original PSX controller -- is designed so that the primary inputs on both sides are directly under the relaxed thumb. Thus you get the face buttons on the right where they are in every controller, and the left analog stick where they are on everything that isn't a Dual Shock. On the original PSX controller and other pre-analog controllers, the D-Pad was in the primary position on the left. For the Dual Shock, they just added the two analog controllers to the existing PSX controller without changing the primary input locations 1) in case analog didn't take off on PSX and 2) to not mess with playing older games. The analog stick was intentionally placed in a sub-optimal place. It stayed that way on the PS2 and PS3 because of brand recognition.
When a new game company starting from scratch with no history or anything decides to emulate the Dual Shock and not fall back on basic principles, this is indicative of a deep problem with that company.
The enemies of Democracy are
Yes. This is a Windows console with a crippled Linux version also for sale for a lower price.
The Linux version is cheaper and lacks the SD reader, Wireless networking hardware and it isn't supported by their NVE Movie Service and Say2Play (wtf that is).
They have a game store up already and it looks like its all Windows games.
1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
Nintendo wasn't a huge multinational company when they entered the video game market.
But they were also not a no-name company. They were a 90 year old company when they moved into the electronic gaming market. Before then they were well-known company in Japan who made card games and all sorts of toys. So while not a multinational company like Sony or Microsoft they weren't a no-name like EVO. Secondly, by the time they had come out with their first gaming console, they had built up a reputation in arcade games both in Japan and America. So unlike this company, Nintendo actually had it's name out their long before they released the Famicom/NES.